5 ms·

I think everyone is relieved to be able to speak in it own mother tongue. So yes, I can understand you. I have to say as a foreigner in the UK, the typical 'we

by wdb 6y ago

I think everyone is relieved to be able to speak in it own mother tongue. So yes, I can understand you. I have to say as a foreigner in the UK, the typical 'we don't say what we mean'-approach here is tiring and waste of time.

gumby 6y ago
> I have to say as a foreigner in the UK, the typical 'we don't say what we mean'-approach here is tiring and waste of time. In that case I suggest you stay out of Japan. I’m sure the English people’s directness must be exhausting for Japanese visitors.
- wdb 6y ago
  I can't say the English are direct, totally opposite, you need to pull out of them what they really think/mean.
  - gumby 6y ago
    I was making an ironic comparison to indicate that polite Japanese conversation is even less direct than that of polite British conversation.
altacc 6y ago
Definitely. One interesting aspect of multi-national interactions is the differences in high & low context cultures. There are some nationalities where I know I won't ever get a straight answer, so have to do a lot of inference. For others the answer is short and clear, to the point that it would be considered rude in the UK. I much prefer that approach.